Very Good, Jeeves!
P.G. Wodehouse

I first learned of this series of books by watching the British duo Hugh Laurie and Steven Frey in these very roles. I enjoyed it immensely! So, when I found this title on the shelf for $0.75 at Goodwill, there was absolutely no passing it up. This book is a collection of short stories about Bertram "Bertie" Wooster and his gentleman's gentle man, Jeeves. As if writing for television well before its time, Wodehouse creates a perfectly written comedy. Each story is another romp through mishaps and misunderstandings, until Jeeves is finally called upon to offer his uncannily perfect solution. This is an absolute gem of a read. Each chapter, its own story makes this a very easy read. I would recommend this title to anyone who likes to laugh!

Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop
Lee Goldberg

Does Monk prove that Capt. Stottlemeyer didn't kill his colleague? Well, of course, but getting to the closure was pretty good too. This book is one of a few that has incorporated smaller, solve-on-the-spot crimes for Monk on the path to the conclusion of the larger, more central crime. That alone is a welcome change to the usual one book, one crime. As in the TV series, this is an easy to read, quick book that the reader can usually solve themselves. Join Natalie and Monk in her quest to find herself and his quest to find the real killer.

The Sunken Sailor
Simon Brett, et al.

This was a wonderfully funny piece of mystery fiction. It is a round robin book meaning each author reads what has been written by the previous author(s), writes their own chapter, and then passes it on to the next. The tale can change at any moment. Each author reveals new pieces of information. The subsequent authors must decide what of the previous writing is meaningful and in what way. The result is a fast moving and often hilarious outcome. You may feel you know how the story is leading, but with the change of chapter, everything can change. In this book, the story starts with a dinner party of several acquaintances. There is murder, greed, deceit, and more. There is no way of decribing the plot further without ruining the entire book for the next reader. Each author adds their own style of writing, yet they create cohesive final product. Thoroughly enjoyable!

Authors: Simon Brett, Jan Burke, Dorothy Cannell, Margaret Coel, Deborah Crombie, Eileen Dreyer, Carolyn Hart, Edward Marston, Francine Mathews, Sharan Newman, Alexandra Ripley, Walter Satterthwait, Sarah Smith, and Carolyn Wheat

Frogs Without Legs Can't Hear: Nuturing Disciples in Home and Congregation
David W. Anderson and Paul Hill

Home is Church and Church is Home. We should be living our lives and presesnting this faith to our young people. Faith is all-encompassing. It doesn't stop when we leave the church building. This book is about the ways that we as adults can find our faith and teach it, through example, to our children. "Church" should include all aspects of our life. "Church" is the congregation, not just the building. Children learn their faith more from feeling than from learing in a classroom. We need to model our faith. We need to "walk the talk."
The authors begin this book with this story: A scientist surgically removes all of a frog's legs one at a time in order find if the frog can jump without them. After each removal, the scientist screams at the frog to, "Jump." After the removal of the last leg, the scientis again yells at the frog, but the frog does not jump. The scientist's conclussion: Frogs without legs can't hear.
They relate this story to the church; head is the leadership, torso is the congregation, and the legs are the mobiliy of the church into the wider world.
We find churches are too often self contained without venturing into the world other than to send money for a charity or mission. We find too often that members of churches tend to forget to pass on faith to the growing members. We too often find members who have forgotten that faith does not stop at the doors, but should follow us every minute of everyday, wherever we may be.

Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist
MC Beaton

Another fun read from the Agatha Raisin series. This time she is following her ex-fiance to their would-be honeymoon spot. I was a little disappointed in James this go-around due to his icy demeanor and slightly erratic behavior. However, there are many more books in this series and if they got married in book 6, it wouldn't be quite the same from then on out.
I was also slightly disappointed in the proof-reading. There were many spelling, puntuation, and other grammatical errors. Nothing was too bad that you couldn't read around it, but it is still a let down.
In all, a fun, easy read of the witty, zany Agatha Raisin.

Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare
Stephen Greenblatt

This is an interesting take on a biography. Instead of dealing with the known hard facts of William Shakespeare's life, Greenblatt takes a different approach. He looks at why Shakespeare lived and wrote as he did by way of looking at the world around him. By looking at the players in his life, we find a deeper understanding of the man. Greenblatt does an excellent job of delving into the lives of all the people that may have had an influence on Shakespeare's life. To only see the facts and figures of a person's life doesn't create much of a picture; but by studying his writings and watching the social times, we are able to see connections to Shakespeare's personality.
The best writing of this book is in the first two or three chapters and then again in the last. I found Greenblatt's writing to be long-winded and almost pompous. I also found that he was quite often off on tangents that were unrelated, if at all, to the main subject.
In all I would say this is a very good read. Lengthy, but good. It is a book that not only showcases one of the world's elite writers; but also forces you to ponder your own life. What makes you the way you are? Who makes you the way you are? And lastly, what is it that you are putting out there for the world to know you by?

Mr. Monk is Miserable
Lee Goldberg

As much as I like this series of books; I have to say I didn't care for this installment. As a continuation of a series and more specifically a sequel to Mr. Monk in Germany, you can skip the first whole chapter entirely because it is just recap of characters and why they are where they are. Then you can skip the next ten chapters because it is just Monk and Teeger sightseeing in Paris. When the actual murders start happening and Monk starts doing his thing, the muderer is so obvious when you meet them that there really is no point reading on. I still like the witty banter between Stottlemeyer and Disher. I still like the way Lee Goldberg writes each book as if you are watching an episode on television. You can just get lost in it for a short time. As usual, a very quick and easy read. As a novel to read independently, I would probably not recommend it. However, if you are reading the series, then I would say don't miss it. It does pick up where Mr. Monk in Germany left off.

Where are You Now?
Mary Higgins Clark

The last book I needed to read to be up-to-date. I started reading MHC about 10 years ago and have managed to get caught up with her writing. I very much enjoyed this book. I really fell into step with the main character and found myself feeling many of the same things she was. Disbelief, worry, unsure of events. I was sure it was 'Man A' and found the killer to be the last person I expected. Although, I didn't believe it to be the ones the narrator was pushing. It was just too obvious.
In the end, I was relieved and down-hearted. Many things turned out as I had hoped and many others didn't.